Pulling into the driveway, he stepped out of the car and immediately went to take a shower. Usually, he would work late in his study before going to bed, but he was unusually tired today, so after showering, he went straight to sleep.
Meanwhile, in Daisy's apartment, she was still working on her designs. A few years ago, she had started a design company that specialized in designing everything from jewelry to clothing.
But her personal favorite had always been clothing design.
Recently, a company had reached out for a potential collaboration a huge opportunity in her career so she was putting her heart into every detail, making sure everything came out perfectly.
Looking at the time, it was already one in the morning. She had finally finished the main pieces and would add the final touches later that day before heading to the meeting. With a tired sigh, she went to fill the bathtub.
Although she was still limping quite a bit, she managed to move around as best she could. After soaking for a while, she came out, tied her bathrobe, and laid on the bed. She was too sleepy to put on pajamas, so she just slept in her bathrobe.
At six a.m., her alarm rang. She was still very sleepy, but remembering her meeting, she immediately sat up. Her ankle felt slightly better, though the limping was still there. She freshened up, got dressed in a navy-blue office suit, tied her hair into a bun, and applied makeup to hide the dark circles under her eyes.
Heading downstairs, she made herself a quick breakfast, ate, cleaned up, then went to pull her car out of the driveway. She knew she probably shouldn't be driving yet, but she needed to get to the office.
Pulling into her company's parking lot, she stepped out and began doing her little limp-walk toward the entrance, trying to hide the fact that she was injured. She responded to every "Good morning" with a small nod as she made her way to the elevator.
Just as she stepped out on her floor and approached her office, her secretary arrived behind her.
"Good morning, Miss Daisy," Lucy greeted.
"Good morning, Lucy," Daisy replied. "What's my schedule for today? Enlighten me."
"Well, boss, since you didn't come in yesterday, I was able to postpone a few meetings to today. So, you've got quite a packed schedule, including the collaboration with Wilson Company, which will be taking place later this afternoon."
As Lucy read out the schedule while they walked, she suddenly paused and asked, "Boss, are you okay? You're limping."
Daisy was surprised. She thought she had hidden it well. But that was one of the many reasons she hired Lucy she always noticed everything.
"Oh, I'm fine. I just twisted my ankle," Daisy said quickly.
"But boss" Lucy began, concern in her voice.
"I've told you to call me Daisy, unless we're in a meeting," Daisy interrupted gently.
Clearing her throat, Lucy corrected herself. "Daisy, I can clear your schedule for today. You should go home and rest. You've never been one to care about your health, and it's starting to show."
"No, I'm fine. And besides, we have that collaboration today you know I've been waiting for this for years."
"I can reschedule. Nothing is more important than your health," Lucy said firmly, sounding just as concerned as Abby always did. They both acted like big sisters to her, even though she was older.
"Don't worry, Lucy. My legs are completely healed it's just the limping that hasn't gone away," she lied with a small smile. "Now please, make me a coffee."
She entered her office and shut the door behind her.
Lucy rolled her eyes, knowing Daisy was just trying to shoo her away.
After settling in, Daisy resumed working on her designs, adding the finishing touches. She wanted everything to be absolutely perfect.
A few minutes later, Lucy knocked on the door with a cup of coffee.
"Come in," Daisy said, still buried in her work.
"Here's your coffee, D. And since you've decided to go ahead with your meetings, your first one starts in the next thirty minutes."
Daisy finally looked up from her designs, surprised at how quickly they were.
A while later, she and Lucy headed to the conference room, where Daisy sat at the head of the table and Lucy beside her.
"As you all know, we're having our collaboration meeting with Wilson Company today," Daisy began, her tone all business. "Although I've already prepared a set of representative designs, I still asked each of you to come up with your own concepts something bold that'll blow their minds. Let's begin the presentations."
After hours of reviewing the team's presentations, Daisy selected a few designs she felt best represented their vision. With that done, she set out to prepare for the big meeting.